An astronaut inside a small spaceship orbiting around the earth cannot detect gravity. If the space station orbiting around the earth has a large size,can he hope to detect gravity?
(A) Inside a small spaceship orbiting around the earth,the value of acceleration due to gravity $g$ is effectively constant throughout the interior,and the astronaut experiences weightlessness due to free fall.
If the space station orbiting around the earth has a large size,the variation in the gravitational field (tidal forces) across the dimensions of the station becomes significant. In such a case,the astronaut inside the spaceship will experience a non-uniform gravitational force and can detect the presence of gravity.
If the space station orbiting around the earth has a large size,the variation in the gravitational field (tidal forces) across the dimensions of the station becomes significant. In such a case,the astronaut inside the spaceship will experience a non-uniform gravitational force and can detect the presence of gravity.
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